The British American mining giant Anglo American has lodged a claim application with the Finnish Ministry of Employment and the Economy in order to examine further the copper ore deposits in the Moskuvaara area of Sodankylä, in Finnish Lapland.
The claim covers an area of roughly 500 square kilometres, and is partly located on Natura 2000 land, the network of protected areas set up by the European Union at the end of the last century.
Minister of Economic Affairs Mauri Pekkarinen (Centre Party) reported on the matter in Rovaniemi at the weekend.
According to preliminary information that has emerged, the levels of copper contained in the Sodankylä deposits are very high.
Already several dozen people are working on samples and test drillings in the area.
